Three other areas – wellbeing and attitudes to learning, teaching and learning experiences and care, support and guidance – were each deemed “adequate” but in need of improvement.

The school is currently a pioneer school and is working with the Welsh Government and other schools to take forward developments relating to professional learning, but that has had little impact on standards, the report found.

Inspectors found standards at the 1,080-pupil school need raising particularly at GCSE Key Stage 4 years and in the sixth form.

They found many pupils have a positive attitude towards learning but performance at key stage 4 (GCSE years 10 and 11) “is weak and is well below that in similar schools over the last three years”.

Meilyr Rowlands Chief Inspector of Education and Training in Wales and head of Estyn.

The report recommends improving quality of teaching and assessment and developing pupils’ literacy and numeracy skills. Leadership across all levels also needs strengthening as well as co-ordination of provision for pupils with additional learning needs.

The school, 45% of whose pupils live in the 20% most deprived areas of Wales , will now draw up an action plan and be monitored each term by Estyn.

Most pupils come from the Bettws, Malpas, Crindau and Brynglas areas of Newport and are from white British, English-speaking families. None speak Welsh at home. Around 21% of pupils are eligible for free school meals , which is higher than the national average of 17% for secondary schools in Wales.

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On professional learning at the pioneer school, the report found it had little impact on standards: “All teachers take part in the school’s structured professional learning programme and many are enthusiastic about the opportunities they have to share and discuss classroom practice. However, the impact of this work on improving the standards that pupils achieve has been limited.”

A Newport council spokeswoman said: “The main areas identified by the inspection as in need of urgent improvement related to standards, leadership and management.

“It is important to note that positive examples relating to wellbeing, support, teaching and learning were cited in the report, however the school and local authority recognise there is still work to be done in these areas.

“A meeting was held at the school on January 25 providing parents with the opportunity to discuss the main findings of the report with the head and senior team directly.”